


Double Infinity

by ArcaneAllure



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-04
Updated: 2014-05-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 12:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1267009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcaneAllure/pseuds/ArcaneAllure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What do you do when you're single, but not sure how to mingle? Isaac Lahey needed an answer. All of his friends were in relationships and he couldn't help but want what they all had: Happiness. He was the awkward type who had a troubled past and didn't know the first thing about talking to people, especially boys. Isaac had no idea how he was going to overcome that when the guy he had his eyes on was Beacon Hills' young prince, Jackson Whittemore. However, with a little luck, perseverance, and some help from his friends, his dreams to uncover his little infinity may soon come true. But before he could find his happy ending, he would have to survive the jungle that is high school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Little Wolf in a Big World

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy my first fanfic ever! More to come soon! :)

What do we do when the darkness of our past cannot be shaken? What do we do when we can’t help but feel so alone with nothing to live for? How do we find someone who will love us and teach us that there is still some good left in the world? And if they’re out there, how do we know they can help fix what is broken? 

Isaac Lahey went through childhood like most children. He came from a happy home, had plenty of friends in his neighborhood, and was always eager to learn. However, all of this changed when he started high school. His mother had abandoned Isaac and his father after battling years of emotional torment and soon after, his father was taken to prison when Isaac turned him over to the police after refusing to be abused by his father any longer. 

One of his best friends, Stiles Stilinski, and Stiles’ boyfriend, Derek Hale, had helped him deal with the whole situation and immediately took him under their wings. Of course, they didn’t literally have wings. No, the only people with wings were the archangels that lived up in Canada and most of the northern states. Derek was a werewolf. So in a way, you could say he took him under his fur coat. Derek also helped Isaac learn to control his own animalistic tendencies because like Derek, Isaac was a werewolf too. Although the world was filled with supernatural creatures, Stiles just happened to be part of the rather uninteresting human population. However, that never stopped Derek from claiming Stiles for himself. Something about Stiles stood out to Derek. He didn’t know if it was the way his light brown eyes caught the sun or the way he managed to trip over his own two feet at least five times a day. Whatever it was, Derek was hooked and never looked back. 

Isaac and Stiles went to school together and were in the same year. Derek was a few years older than the boys and had his own place where he allowed Isaac to stay after his family fell apart. Stiles and Derek were his family now, which was one thing he felt he could be happy about. He never had many friends and definitely never had a boyfriend for that matter. He was far too shy and timid to even speak to anyone unless they spoke to him first and even then he would fumble his words and find ways to make a complete fool of himself. His remarkable good looks caught the attention of many people at school, but his awkward and quiet personality seemed to drive them away. 

He did his best to overcome those flaws and even joined the lacrosse team in hopes of making friends and breaking down his walls. So far, he made friends and acquaintances, but didn’t create relationships that were as strong as those he had with Stiles or Derek. The only other true friends he had were Scott McCall, another werewolf, and Allison Argent who were also in a relationship. It seemed to Isaac that wherever he looked, everyone around him was holding hands and he couldn’t help but feel upset about his own situation. Seeing the two couples together made him happy and sad at the same time. Happy because his best friends found love, but sad because all he wanted was what they had. Isaac always made sure to count his blessings and remember that although he didn’t have a boyfriend, he had his little wolf pack, which was more than he could have ever asked for. But he always felt like something was missing. Or perhaps that “something” was actually a “someone.” He could never be sure. 

Although he never went out of his way to find a boyfriend, he did have two eyes and knew eye candy when he saw it. Who was this scrumptious man Isaac had his eyes on? Well none other than the lacrosse team captain, and Beach Hills’ prized possession, Jackson Whittemore.  


	2. Awkward Encounter

Jackson Wittemore was a good guy from what Isaac could tell. They never spoke as much as he would have liked, but when they did all he could do was try not to drool in his presence. He was extremely handsome, well known and liked by everyone, and seemed to have high school all figured out. Oh, how Isaac wished he could have the life that Jackson had. Little did Isaac know, Jackson didn’t even want the popularity he was immediately granted as he walked into the doors of Beacon Hills High School. 

Popularity wasn’t something that Jackson hoped and dreamed for like most other kids. He wanted to keep a low profile and survive high school without any of the drama that filled all those ridiculously cheesy Hollywood movies. It was definitely hard for a boy who looked like he should be on the cover of every magazine in the country. Everyone either wanted him or wanted to be him. Isaac would have been happy with either of those choices.

In the locker room before and after practice, the guys all seemed to be very confident with their chiseled abs and rock hard biceps and took every opportunity they had to show them off. Although Isaac did have the body of an athlete like the rest of the team, he didn’t enjoy showing it off. He was too nervous to change in front of everyone else so he would walk to the far end of the room where his locker was and change in isolation. Stiles and Scott each had a locker next to Isaac’s and constantly teased the boy about being so shy about his body.

“You know, I will never understand why you think you have to hide your body from the rest of the guys. Derek, Scott, and I didn’t help you work out for nothing,” Stiles commented jokingly.

“I remember Derek and Scott helping me work out. You on the other hand not so much. From what I remember, you were the one sitting on an exercise ball eating a bag of chips while the three of us were busting our asses off,” Isaac laughed as he pulled a clean shirt over his head.

“Hey! We’re all a team. They help you with the physical stuff and I sit back and yell words of motivation at you guys,” Stiles stated with his signature smile. 

“I really don’t think telling us how delicious that bag of chips was would be considered motivation,” the other boy responded as he picked up his water bottle to quench his thirst. Stiles just brushed the comment off as he began packing his bag to get ready for his next class. As he threw his bag over his shoulder and turned around, he jumped, let out a high-pitched yelp, and backed up into Isaac causing the boy to spit out the water he was drinking. Isaac and Scott swiftly turned around in unison to face Stiles and before he could say anything, Isaac glanced up until his eyes locked with the boy standing in front of them.

“Jackson! Dude what the hell! Didn’t your mother ever tell you that it’s not polite to sneak up on people like that? You almost gave me a heart attack,” Stiles wheezed while trying to catch his breath. In the meantime, Scott just laughed as he helped the boy regain his balance. 

“Yeah sorry. I just came to ask if either of you had gum. For some reason, none of the guys here care if their breath smells like the bag of onions and sardines they must have had for lunch,” Jackson explained as he smiled at Stiles who was still clenching his chest.

“Next time cough or something so that I know you’re there... But I don’t have any gum. My breath is naturally minty," Stiles gloated and blew air into Jackson's face. Disgusted, Jackson squinted his eyes and glared at the boy as if he was going to rip his throat out. Stiles just giggled and turned to his best friend. "Scott, do you have any?” 

“Nope! I just take gum from Allison when I need it,” Scott answered. “Isaac?”

Jackson shifted his eyes towards Isaac who was too nervous to even respond. “I... Um... I think I might,” he answered as he sorted through his backpack and handed the team captain a package without looking to see what it was.

“Isaac... This is a package of unopened post it notes...” Jackson stated with a confused look upon his face. Stiles and Scott couldn’t help but burst into a fit of laughter as Isaac quickly grabbed the package and handed him the gum he thought he gave him. His face immediately flushed bright red at the realization of how embarrassing and uncomfortable that was for him. Jackson couldn't help but smile at how flustered Isaac was. “Thanks! I’ll see you guys at practice tomorrow," Jackson said as he left the room to head to his next class.

“Smooth,” Stiles whispered to Isaac with a huge grin on his face. “How are you still single?”

“Shut up and let’s just go to class,” Isaac grumbled hoping that the rest of his classes would help him forget about how mortified he felt after embarrassing himself in front of the boy he liked. He shoved Stiles out of the way and rushed to leave the room as Stiles ran to keep up.

“Hey! Wait up! I need some post it notes,” Stiles yelled as he and Scott chased after the boy. Isaac ignored him and kept walking hoping he wouldn’t have to see Jackson for the rest of the long day ahead.  
 


	3. Backflips and Butterflies

The rest of the day progressed normally, but Isaac still couldn’t get over how humiliated he felt. He couldn’t focus at all in any of his classes and he was so glad that school was over. Now he could just relax and hang out with his friends, which is all he ever looked forward to. The four teenagers met up after school, jumped into Stiles’ car, and headed to Derek’s house to relax and do what they did best: Eat and do absolutely nothing productive. 

In the car, Scott and Stiles had filled Allison in on what happened in the locker room regardless of how much Isaac protested. “Wait... So you handed him... post it notes?” Allison questioned with her head tilted to the side trying to understand the situation. Feeling the embarrassment rush back into his system, Isaac looked away and timidly nodded his head. 

“Isaac, you shouldn’t feel humiliated about it! He probably forgot about you the moment he left the room,” Stiles added laughing as he replayed the scenario in his mind. Without hesitation, Scott hit the back of the boys head and rolled his eyes. “What? I’m just saying...”

“Cut the guy some slack, Stiles. I don’t remember you being that smooth when you were first introduced to Derek,” Scott mentioned, “I mean, weren’t you drooling all over his shoes?”

“Oh yeah! I remember that,” Allison added with a smile on her face. “You literally zoned out and had no idea that you were leaving a huge lake of saliva all over the floor!”

Stiles rolled his eyes and screamed, “IT WAS ONE TIME,” to which Isaac burst out laughing forgetting all about his own misfortune for a change. Stiles glared at the boy through the rearview mirror until his attention was averted to someone on the sidewalk jogging in the direction they were going. When he realized who it was, he looked back up at Isaac with a devious smile on his face and in one quick motion, drove up alongside the man and rolled down his window. “Hey Jackson!” was all Stiles had to say for Isaac to instantly freeze up.

Allison quickly looked over at Isaac and saw that every ounce of color had left the boys face. “Stiles! What are you doing?” she exclaimed.

“Yeah, Stiles! Just keep on driving. You don’t need to torture Isaac more,” Scott argued. 

“Don’t worry, guys! It’ll be fine,” Stiles countered. Before Isaac could say anything, Jackson had made his way over to the car waving at the four of them. “Jackson! My man! Where are you off to?” Stiles said, which caused Isaac to drop his head finally accepting that the universe was out to get him.

“Just heading home. Where are the four of you going?” Jackson replied.

“We’re just on our way to my boyfriends house. Did you want to tag along?” Stiles asked. Hearing those words, Isaac shut hit eyes so tightly and crossed his fingers hoping that Jackson had somewhere he needed to be.

Isaac shifted his eyes over towards Allison who was giving him an apologetic look. Jackson checked the time on his phone and realizing that he didn’t have anywhere he needed to go, he accepted the offer and jumped into the backseat beside Isaac who scooted over to allow the other boy more room. “Are you sure you guys are cool with me tagging along?” Jackson asked not sure if he was intruding on the group’s time together.

“Not at all,” Isaac answered, his voice almost inaudible. On the outside, he tried his best to play it cool and not make a fool of himself again, but on the inside, his mind was turning into mush and his heart was doing so many backflips and somersaults that he had no idea what to do with himself. Allison placed her hand on Isaac’s knee in hopes of calming the boy down and reassuring him that he was going to be okay.

“So, where were you headed?” Scott asked as he turned around in the passenger seat to face the three in the back. 

“I was just planning on walking over to the park to unwind for a little bit,” the boy answered.

“Why were you by yourself?” Allison questioned. “I would think that you would be hanging out with some of your other teammates like Danny, Ethan, and Aiden.” 

“No, I like to spend more of my time alone. Gives me time to think and find myself,” he responded in a hushed voice. He looked over at Isaac who hadn’t looked up at him once since he got in the car. “Hey man, you okay?” he asked as he placed a hand on Isaac’s forearm.

“He’s still a little embarrassed about the whole post it thing today,” Stiles interrupted. 

“Oh, that? Don’t worry about it! People have done far more humiliating things than that. And besides, it was honestly kind of... Cute,” Jackson noted as he began to blush ever so slightly. He reached his arm around Isaac and brought him in close. “It’ll stay between the five of us!” he reassured the young man. Of course, none of his words were processing in Isaac’s mind because the only thing he could think of was the fact that Jackson had his arm around him and that this was the closest he had ever been to the boy he had always wanted.

“Actually... The six of us,” Stiles said. “I may or may not have called Derek to tell him about what happened... Sorry.” As soon as Stiles mentioned the fact that now Derek knew about the story as well, Isaac threw his head back in defeat and did not know how to shake the constant stream of shame that he had experienced all day long. 

“Like I said,” Jackson reminded him, “don’t worry about it.” At this point Isaac had buried his face in his hands and Jackson couldn’t help but laugh at how adorable the other boy was. Without any hesitation, he pulled Isaac in closer and rubbed his arm to reassure him that he had nothing to be embarrassed about. In that moment, Jackson could have sworn he felt some butterflies in his stomach as he held Isaac close. The feeling took him by surprise, but if it made him feel even a little bit happy, he knew not to question it. So, for the rest of the ride over to Derek’s house, he simply sat back and enjoyed the closeness he shared with Isaac because he did not know if he would get the opportunity to hold the boy that close again.


	4. Meeting Derek and Isaac's True Form

The rest of the ride to the house wasn’t all that exciting. Stiles, Scott, and Jackson were all discussing the latest sports news and joking around with one another while Isaac and Allison were discussing the latest episode of the popular TV show about a teenage werewolf whose life revolved around battling dark, supernatural entities. At this point, Jackson had released Isaac from under his arm regardless of how much he didn’t want to let him go. In each of their minds, both boys wanted to stay like that forever, but neither one had the courage to say or do anything fearing how the other would react. 

Once they had reached their destination, Derek was waiting patiently for them and had already started cooking up food. “Hey babe,” he shouted at Stiles as the group entered the house. He quickly made his way over to the teenagers and picked Stiles up to give him a small kiss. “I missed you,” he pouted as he gently set the boy down. Stiles laughed and without saying a word, reached up to grab the back of his boyfriends neck to pull him in for another kiss. Derek closed his eyes and smiled as he enjoyed the moment, but once he had opened his eyes, they immediately landed on the stranger that was with the group. “Who’s this guy?” he asked pointing at Jackson.

“This is Jackson,” Stiles said as Derek reached out his arm to shake the boys hand, “he’s the guy that I mentioned earlier today. You know, team captain, darling of Beacon Hills,” and in a hushed voice he whispered, “Isaac’s love interest.” Only Scott and Isaac were able to hear his remark, but as soon as Isaac heard those words come out of his mouth, he shot Stiles the dirtiest look he could muster up and shook his head in irritation. Stiles simply grinned at his best friend and gave him a little wink to which Isaac responded by rolling his eyes and turning the other way. 

“Hi! I’m Jackson. I hope it’s okay that Stiles invited me over,” Jackson said nervously. He had no idea how intimidating Derek was until he got closer to the man to shake his hand. In hopes of getting on his good side he added, “you’ve got a really nice place!” 

Derek had been sizing the boy up from the moment he laid eyes on him, but once he recognized that he wasn’t a threat, his face lit up and he grabbed the boy’s hand and said, “Thanks! You’re welcome to stop by any time. Any friend of Stiles and Isaac is a friend of mine!” With that, Jackson let out a sigh of relief and was able to relax for a bit until Derek spoke again. “But, if you hurt any of them, I will destroy you,” he warned as he flashed his razor sharp teeth at the boy and let out a deep growl. Jackson tensed up instantly not knowing how to react to the man’s threat. He wasn’t necessarily afraid of werewolves because humans and supernatural beings had lived in peace for years. The thing that scared him was the fact that a werewolf was actually threatening him directly. 

Stiles just grabbed Derek’s wrist and scolded him saying, “No! Bad werewolf!” He then turned to Jackson to apologize for his boyfriend. “Sorry, he’s just kidding. He wouldn’t destroy you. Scratch you up a little, maybe, but nothing that would leave you immobile.”

“Oh...” was all Jackson could say in response.

“Alright boys, that’s enough. Jackson’s a nice guy,” Scott noted. He patted Jackson on the back as a sign of reassurance. “I won’t let them hurt you and neither will Isaac. Isn’t that right Isaac?” he stated as he spun around to face Isaac who was nowhere to be seen. “Uh... Where’s Isaac?” he asked his girlfriend. She raised a finger and pointed at Isaac who had begun to make his way to the bathroom. “Isaac, where are you going?” 

“I’m just going to go drown myself in the bathtub, but please, continue your conversation,” he joked clearly horrified at how the whole scenario was playing out before him. Everyone laughed at Isaac’s comment and the tension in Jackson’s body slowly began to fade away.

“Derek, are you gonna show us what delicious meal you have on the menu for us today?” Scott asked sniffing the air to catch the scent of what the man had been cooking. 

“Sure, why not,” the older man answered. They all started to migrate over to the kitchen except for Jackson who stayed put and awkwardly fiddled his thumbs. Even though they were all teasing each other and playing around, he didn’t feel quite comfortable jumping in on their conversations and jokes just yet. 

When Isaac saw that Jackson had not moved an inch, he hesitated and didn’t know what to do or say. “Are you alright, Jackson?” he said examining the confused and anxious expression that was on the boy’s face. 

Jackson didn’t want to worry the boy and with a smile he said, “Yeah, I’m good. I think I’ll just sit on the couch for now, but you go with your friends.” 

Isaac paused before saying anything. “No, I can stay with you and keep you company! Besides, I’m sure that Derek will somehow manage to burn the food anyways, so there’s really no point in seeing what’s in the oven if it’s just gonna end up charred and repulsive.” Both boys laughed and made their way over to the couch. 

“He’s not actually going to hurt me, is he?” Jackson questioned without looking up at Isaac. He knew he was probably making a big deal out of the light-hearted threat Derek made, but he really didn’t like the idea of getting hurt.

Isaac giggled and was about to say something until he saw the seriousness that was in Jackson’s eyes. “Absolutely not! I’d claw his eyes out before I’d ever let him hurt you!” he exclaimed trying to hide the blush he felt creeping onto his cheeks. 

Jackson watched as Isaac tried to hide his face and smiled. “Violent, but charming,” he stated teasingly. He liked knowing that someone was looking out for him even if it was someone he barely knew. “So... Are you a-“

“Werewolf?” Isaac interrupted. Jackson nodded slowly waiting for the answer. Isaac didn’t know how to respond. Outside of his friend group, no one knew that he was a wolf and he preferred to keep it that way. He didn’t want to feel like more of an outcast and certainly didn’t want the boy he liked to think he was a freak. He saw the way Jackson reacted when Derek flashed him his teeth and he definitely didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. Isaac took a deep breath before answering. “Yes, I am,” he said and instantly regretted the decision. “I understand if you think I’m weird and I’d understand if wanted to leave right now. I wouldn’t blame you,” he stated in a silent tone as he kept his head down. 

Jackson was taken back by the new information, but he was more concerned about the hurt that was in Isaac’s eyes. He shuffled from his end of the couch to sit right beside Isaac and placed a hand on his chin to lift his head up so their eyes were locked on one another. “I don’t think you’re weird and even though I don’t know you that well, I know for sure that you have a pure heart... And you’ve got a beautiful face to match,” Jackson explained without breaking their eye contact. “Do you mind if I... I mean, if it’s not to much to ask, can I see...” Jackson asked not knowing exactly how to word the question, however, Isaac knew exactly what he wanted to see. The young werewolf turned his head the other way and allowed his face to take its wolf form. He exhaled before turning back around to face Jackson. 

“Is this what you wanted?” Isaac hesitantly asked hoping that he wouldn’t scare the boy away. Jackson didn’t say a word but nodded in reply. His lifted up his hand to reach out and touch the thick hair on the sides of Isaac’s face and traced his fingers across the werewolf’s lips no longer afraid of the razor sharp teeth that were hiding behind them. Without thinking, Jackson slowly began moving his face forward still keeping his eyes on Isaac’s lips. Once the situation had finally registered in Isaac’s brain, he started to go crazy and cried out to the universe to help him. Even though he really did want to kiss Jackson, his emotions were heightened and almost uncontrollable when he was in wolf form and he didn’t want to risk anything.

Suddenly, as if the universe actually did hear him, the smoke detector began emitting a piercing screech that caused both of the boys to flinch and based on how close they were to each other, their heads clashed, which sent jolts of pain shooting through their bodies. They both shut their eyes in pain and rubbed the bumps that began forming on their foreheads. The pain didn’t last very long and once it subsided, they simply burst into a huge fit of laughter along with the rest of the group that was in the kitchen.

“DAMMIT!” Derek screamed as he fell to his knees. Stiles, still laughing at his boyfriend’s misfortune, reached out his hands to pick the man up to his feet, but Derek slapped his hands away and crawled into fetal position refusing to accept defeat. “Just leave me here to die,” he whimpered flailing on the ground like a child. This only made the group laugh even harder and louder that the sound of the alarm was completely muffled by their cries. 

Isaac and Jackson completely forgot what was happening between them and didn’t even remember that they were just about to kiss. It wasn’t until Isaac looked down and saw that their hands were intertwined that everything came rushing back to him. He quickly pulled back his hand without Jackson noticing because he was too preoccupied with trying to keep back the tears that in his eyes after seeing Derek transform from being a big, tough werewolf to a five-year-old child. 

Isaac just watched the other boy and felt a warm sensation in his heart that had not been there in a very long time. He started to ask himself what it was about Jackson that made him fall head over heels for him. After all, he didn’t know the boy that well and he wasn’t sure if anyone really knew him that well. He wondered what it was about the boy that people loved. Intrigued by the thought, he made it his goal to unravel the mystery of Jackson Whittemore. Although he had no idea where the journey would take him, he was willing to do whatever it would take as long as it ended with the two of them being together.


	5. Wingman

For the remainder of the night, the group had watched movies, played games, and ordered pizza to make up for the dinner that Derek failed to make. They had been having so much fun relaxing and enjoying each other’s company that they quickly lost track of time and now the dark blanket of the night had covered the city. Scott and Allison left before sunset and Jackson, being the only one left who didn’t live at the apartment, felt that it was time to leave. “It’s gotten pretty dark out, so I should probably head home now,” Jackson told the others. 

“Sure thing,” Derek said. “Give me a minute and I’ll get my jacket and bring you home. It may not be a full moon, but it can get pretty dangerous out there if you don’t have our heightened werewolf senses.” 

“Thanks," Jackson replied. "I appreciate it a lot, Derek. But I wouldn’t want to be an inconvenience." Although he was scared of going home alone at this time of night, he was more afraid of Derek and saying the wrong thing around him. “I’m sure I’ll be safe walking home from here.” The older man shifted his eyes towards Isaac who was looking at him in a way that implied that he was asking Derek to take the boy home. Isaac was far too nervous to be alone with Jackson, especially considering everything that had happened between the boys throughout the day. He really did want to get to know his crush better, but he didn’t want to overwhelm him and add on to the embarrassment of the locker room fiasco. 

“Okay! If you’re sure it’s not a problem,” the younger boy responded as he began to grab his things. Derek just smiled and nodded reaching for his keys. Isaac had quietly made his way over to the older man who had his back turned to him. 

Isaac tapped him on the shoulder and whispered, “Thank you. I’d do it myself, but I’m pretty sure I’d just make a huge fool of myself if I did.” Derek adored how flustered Isaac was when it came to dealing with Jackson. He was just glad that Isaac was happy for once and wanted to make sure that things stayed that way. 

“It’s the least I could do for frightening him today,” Derek stated as he locked his eyes onto Jackson. “Besides, it’ll give me some time to figure out what type of person he is.” He really did know nothing about the boy other than the fact that for a human, he ate like a beast. He didn’t realize that a person could eat that many slices of pizza in one sitting, but to Derek, that was one thing he liked about him so far.

Isaac just bit his lip because he knew that there was no telling what Derek would do when he was alone with Jackson. The last thing he wanted was for the man to reveal his secrets or tell embarrassing stories that would drive him away. “Just please don’t do anything stupid that would jeopardize my chances with him,” he begged flashing Derek the biggest puppy dog eyes he had ever made.

“Don’t give me those eyes! I just want to ask him a few questions,” Derek said as he patted the boy on the head. “You have nothing to worry about. I promise I won’t tell him about how you wet the bed in your sleep two nights ago.” Derek winked at Isaac and started to laugh.

Isaac's face dropped immediately because he didn’t know that anyone knew about his little accident. “How did you know about that?” he questioned glaring at the man. 

“I didn’t see it, but I definitely smelled it,” he teased trying his hardest to keep a straight face. “But seriously Isaac, I won’t torture him. You know that I’m a really gentle person even though I certainly don’t look like it! Isn’t that right, babe?” he asked Stiles who was a few feet away from the two.

Stiles had been listening in on their conversation and disagreed with his boyfriend and said, “I don’t know about that. You certainly weren’t very gentle last night when we...”

“ALRIGHTY THEN,” Isaac quickly interrupted, “I think you should probably go now.” He definitely didn’t need to hear about what went on behind closed doors. The boy had learned to sleep with headphones on and even requested that Derek soundproof his room many times so that he could live his life in peace. However, his requests were constantly shut down because the couple loved to harass Isaac since they knew how easy it was to make the boy uncomfortable. 

Derek smiled and gave his boyfriend a peck on the cheek. “Be good while I’m gone,” he instructed. “Ready, Jackson?” 

“I think so, but I can’t find my lip balm,” he said as he searched the couch. With no hope of finding it, he let out a long sigh and turned to Stiles and Isaac. “If you guys find it, could you bring it to school tomorrow? I like to keep my lips moisturized,” he stated as he licked his lips and jokingly winked at the boys. Isaac inhaled so sharply that the sudden rush of air made him slightly lightheaded. 

Stiles noticed his best friends reaction and shook his head in amusement. “For sure,” Stiles said. “Wouldn’t want those lips to dry up! Gotta keep them... moist” he added as he leaned in closer to Isaac to nudge him with his elbow. If there was one word that Stiles loved to throw around to make Isaac feel awkward, it was the word “moist.” Something about that word always sounded so perverted and Stiles loved it. 

Jackson genuinely enjoyed Stiles’ sense of humor and laughed as he put on his bag. “Thanks, man,” he said as he walked over to fist bump Stiles to say goodbye. When it came time to say bye to Isaac, Jackson had reached out his hand to fist bump the boy as well, but without thinking, Isaac reached out his arm to shake his hand instead. Their hands clashed awkwardly and Isaac wished that he could just crawl into a cave and stay there forever. 

As the scene played out, Stiles just stood back with his eyes wide open savoring every moment. He wanted to make sure that he didn’t miss a single second of communication between the two so that if anything embarrassing happened to Isaac, he could use it to tease him in the future. Luckily for Stiles, it seemed as though every interaction between Jackson and Isaac guaranteed for something hilarious to happen. 

Isaac had rapidly averted his eyes and was struggling to come up with a coherent sentence. “I... Um... Sorry... That... Uh...” he stuttered bowing his head in agony. Jackson lifted Isaac’s chin so that he could see his handsome face. 

“We can come up with a better handshake eventually,” he added. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow!” Jackson then made his way to the door where Derek was waiting for him trying to conceal the amusement in his face. Jackson turned back around one last time and waved at Stiles and Isaac before disappearing around the corner. Derek focused his gaze on Isaac and mouthed the word “smooth” to the boy as he shut the door behind him.

Stiles immediately turned to Isaac and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Wow... you never cease to amaze me, Isaac Lahey,” he teased. Isaac growled at Stiles and shoved him to the side heading for his room. “Wait! I have something to show you,” he quickly mentioned causing his best friend to grudgingly stop in his tracks. “Here,” he said as he handed Isaac a stick of lip balm. The other boy was extremely confused, but then remembered that Jackson couldn’t find his chapstick. Realizing that Stiles had taken it, he cocked his head to the side and asked him why he kept it from Jackson. “I wanted to make sure that you had a reason to talk to him tomorrow. I may make fun of you a lot but I’m still your wingman,” he affirmed with his chin held high and a proud look on his face.

“I can’t believe you,” Isaac said before breaking into a huge grin. “I’ve got to hand it to you, Stiles, you’re one hell of a wingman that’s for sure,” he added while patting the boy on the back. “But I still hate you for tormenting me,” he laughed. 

“It’s all out of love,” Stiles reassured him. Although the boy did find ways to humiliate him a lot, Isaac was glad that someone was helping him land the boy of his dreams. He just hoped that Derek was doing the same.


	6. The Car Ride

As Jackson followed Derek to his car, he couldn’t help but feel major anxiety in his system. He still had trouble distinguishing between when the man was being serious and when he was making a joke. In his head, he really wouldn’t have minded walking home if it meant that he didn’t have to be in a confined space next to Derek. He tried to slow his breathing to calm himself down so that he wouldn’t do anything stupid that would result in him getting his head chopped off or something else equally as gruesome. Derek, being the self-proclaimed gentleman that he was, courteously opened the passenger door for Jackson and motioned for him to get in, but the boy hesitated before getting in the car. “I won’t bite,” Derek stated with one of his eyebrows raised. 

“Sorry,” Jackson said as he slid into the passenger seat. The boy could tell from the car that he was in that Derek certainly enjoyed his share of luxury. Derek softly shut Jackson’s door, walked around to the driver’s seat and off they went. “I live straight down the road from here,” Jackson explained. Derek nodded and drove without saying a word. The two were silent for a bit, which made Jackson very uneasy. He began to shift around in his seat and started to tap his fingers on his knees. Derek let out a deep sigh when he noticed the boy’s anxiety. 

“You really don’t have to be nervous,” he reassured him not taking his eyes off the road. 

“I know, you just intimidate me a little,” the boy explained in a low voice as he looked out the car window at the lights flashing by. Derek laughed and asked the boy what it was that made people so scared of him. “Do you own a mirror?” Jackson replied as he examined the man. “You’re basically the poster child for masculinity,” he said with a smile. 

Derek looked over at Jackson with a big grin on his face. “There’s so much more to me than what’s on the surface. I’m sure the same goes for you,” he added. “By the way, can I ask you a question?”

Jackson started to get nervous again. “Um... Yeah, of course,” he answered cautiously.

“You like Isaac, don’t you?” he asked with a serious look on his face. 

Jackson froze in his seat and didn’t know what to say. He started to feel small beads of sweat form on the palm of his hands. “W-What makes you think that?” 

“Well, first of all, I saw the way you looked at Isaac when you two were alone and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were about to lean in to kiss him too.” He turned to Jackson who had his face turned to the window so that Derek wouldn’t see how red he was. “Second, you haven’t already forgotten that I’m a werewolf, right? I could hear your heart beating faster than I thought was humanly possible.” 

“I... Uh... Well...” Jackson stuttered unable to come up with a single word to explain his actions. He didn’t even know what he felt towards Isaac. Yes, he was leaning in for a kiss, but he just lost himself in the heat of the moment and went with it. 

Derek kept his eyes on the road as a small smirk crept onto his face. Enjoying the moment, he began to tease the boy even more. “You know, I’m sure Isaac would’ve loved for you to kiss him. He had that look in his eyes,” he said as he winked at the younger boy.

“R-Really? You... You think he actually wanted to kiss me?” he asked unsure of whether Derek was being serious or not.

“Why not? I mean, you’re probably one of the best looking guys in this town! Other than yours truly, of course,” he proudly added. Jackson nodded and smiled at the thought. 

“Oh, this is my place,” Jackson said as he pointed at the house in front of them and turned to Derek to say goodbye. “Thanks for the ride,” he exclaimed. “But, I have one more thing I need to ask you before I go.” Derek tilted his head to the side and gave him a confused look. “Actually, it’s more of a small favor.”

“Now I'm the one who's nervous...” he stated as he tried to figure out what the boy was going to ask.

“You have to keep this between us though. It has to be a secret. You can’t even tell Stiles.” 

“Alright...” Derek said still very puzzled.

Jackson leaned in and began, “Okay, here’s what I need you to do...”


	7. The Post It

It had been a little over a week since Isaac had his first real “alone” time with Jackson, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He would catch himself daydreaming about the other boy at the most inconvenient of times. He nearly got himself into a car accident because he was drifting off thinking about what it would be like to snuggle up in his arms. It was so hard to get Jackson off his mind, although it shouldn’t have been that difficult considering the fact that the team captain had not been at school since they were all together at Derek’s. 

“I wonder where Jackson’s been,” Isaac said with a concerned look upon his face. He and Stiles had just gotten out of career and life management class, which Jackson should have been in. When Stiles didn’t respond, Isaac lightly shoved the boy to get his attention. “Earth to Stiles! I’m trying to voice my distress here!”

“Unfortunately, I have checked out for the day, please leave your message after the beep and I’ll get back to you when I feel like it,” Stiles teased. Isaac laughed and punched him in the arm. “Hey! Watch it! I’m fragile,” Stiles whined and pouted as he rubbed his arm in an overly dramatic fashion. The boys laughed and continued to talk about the latest school gossip until they reached their lockers. Isaac quickly grabbed his jacket and before he shut his locker, he noticed a bright blue post it stuck on the inside of the door.

“Stiles…” Isaac whispered as he pulled the note off the door and handed it to him.

The other boy had puzzled look on his face. “Derek’s house after school,” he read out loud. “Who wrote this?”

“No idea… The only person who knows my combination is you,” Isaac stated. 

Stiles nodded and glanced back down at the post it note that clung to his fingers as he chewed his gum and tried to think of who could have left it there. “Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough,” he pointed out as he closed his locker and waited for the other boy to follow. It didn’t take long for them to forget about the mystery note because they were soon back to discussing the latest break ups and make ups of Beacon Hills High. 

After driving from school while jamming out to the Backstreet Boys in the car, the boys finally arrived and noticed an unfamiliar Porsche parked in the driveway. “Did Derek get a new car?” Isaac asked Stiles as he admired the freshly washed luxury car in front of him.

“Not that I know of,” the other boy answered. “C’mon, let’s just go inside and see who it is.” Isaac simply nodded and trailed behind Stiles.

At the door to the apartment, the two found Derek leaning with his back against the door and his arms crossed. “Took you guys long enough,” he said in an irritated tone.

“Hello to you too,” Stiles said as he pulled the bigger man in for a kiss. All it took was a small peck on the lips to cool Derek off and make him forget where he was and what he was doing. “So… Why are you out here?”

“To take you out on a date,” Derek exclaimed flashing him his big, sparkling eyes. Isaac always enjoyed watching the couple together. They were always so happy and fit together perfectly to form one cohesive unit. He wanted what they had, but if he couldn’t find it for himself, he would just have to live vicariously through them, which he really didn’t mind. 

Stiles turned his head to the side and gave Derek an odd look. “That’s… different…” Stiles commented.

“What? Am I not allowed to take my handsome man out for a fancy dinner?” Derek questioned with a frown on his face.

“Well, you’re the one who always wants to stay in and insists on attempting to make us food that you always end up burning,” Stiles explained as Isaac silently laughed to himself on the side. 

“Stiles, let’s just go,” Derek sighed as he tugged on his boyfriends shirt and handed Isaac a bottle of cologne. “Here, spray some of that on before you go in,” he instructed with a giant smirk and winked at the boy. 

“Uh… Why?” Isaac asked as he looked down at the expensive bottle of Versace cologne. Derek just closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as he began to get annoyed with the boys and all their questions. He knew that all he needed to do was get Stiles out of there and get Isaac inside. He rolled his eyes and grabbed the bottle from Isaacs’s hands and sprayed the younger boy to give him a nice scent. 

“Just go in and don’t ask anymore questions,” the older man ordered as he began to drag Stiles towards the car against his will. 

“Wait, I need to change if we’re going somewhere fancy! You look rich and obviously handsome and I look like I’m homeless,” Stiles argued trying to free himself from Derek’s strong grip.

“I have clothes for you in the car. You can just change in there.”

“But I want to know what’s going on,” Stiles complained as he displayed his best puppy dog face to try to get Derek to let him stick around for a little longer.

“No can do, babe,” Derek responded. “Good luck in there, Isaac! Try not to embarrass yourself,” he instructed and began laughing to himself. Isaac just smiled and nodded at him not fully understanding what was going on. Stiles continued to groan and resist, which forced Derek to pick him up and throw him over his shoulder to carry him to the car.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you later then!” Stiles shouted at Isaac before the couple was no longer in sight. Isaac shook his head with a smile on his face, turned around, and grabbed the key from his back pocket to unlock the door. However, just as he was about to put the key into the lock, the door swung open. It caught the boy off-guard and he suddenly lost his balance and began to fall backwards. He tried to steady himself, but it was too late and he just shut his eyes tight bracing himself for impact with the ground. Unexpectedly, Isaac felt a pair of arms catch him before he hit the concrete. He kept his eyes closed so that he could catch his breath and calm down, but once he slowly started to open his eyes, he found himself staring into the blue/green eyes of none other than Jackson Whittemore.


	8. Bittersweet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy, so I'm REALLY sorry that I haven't uploaded a new chapter in what feels like 500 years, but with me being in university and finals being this month, I've been extremely busy. But, here's a new chapter! The story isn't over yet, so don't you worry! :)

Isaac remained frozen as he found himself in Jackson’s arms in a complete state of shock. “I think you just fell for me,” Jackson teased keeping his eyes locked on the boy. Isaac wasn’t sure if he was daydreaming, but it certainly felt like it was all in his imagination. 

“Um… Hey, Jackson... W-what are you doing here?” Isaac stuttered with his eyes wide open and his face flushed bright red. So many questions rushed through the boy’s mind. Is this why Derek was in such a hurry to steal Stiles away? Had he known where Jackson was this entire time? If he did, why did he help him? Hundreds of possible scenarios played out before Isaac’s eyes and all he wanted was to know the answers.

“I’ll explain everything. Let’s go inside and get you settled first,” Jackson insisted as he grabbed Isaac’s hand and led him into the apartment. Isaac had no idea what was about to happen, but he knew that he wasn’t prepared for it. He simply held his breath and let Jackson lead the way. Isaac immediately noticed that the curtains were drawn, the lights were slightly dimmed, and the table was set perfectly as if the two were at a five star restaurant.

“What’s all this?” Isaac questioned as he took in his surroundings.

“Here, have a seat,” the boy said as he pulled out a chair at the dinner table and motioned for Isaac to sit down. Isaac had never seen the apartment look so clean and classy. Normally, the kitchen would be littered with empty take-out boxes and dirty dishes could be found all over the apartment, but not today. Not only was he having trouble understanding how Jackson managed to clean up the apartment considering its previous apocalyptic-looking state, he also had difficulties understanding why he would go to such lengths to do so. 

“How did you get this place so clean?” Isaac asked scanning the rest of the kitchen noticing that the mountain of dishes that filled the sink were finally gone. “I’ve never seen everything so… spotless!”

“I wanted to set the perfect atmosphere for us to spend some one-on-one time together,” Jackson explained as he sat down directly across the other boy. “Couldn’t do that with the stench of leftover Chinese take-out from a week ago,” he laughed scrunching his nose thinking about the horrid smells that he had to battle while cleaning the apartment.

Isaac smiled at Jackson’s adorable face and fiddled his thumbs as the room faded into silence for a minute or two. He wasn’t sure what to do or say because he had been caught off guard completely. All he was planning on doing as soon as he got home was take a nice long bath and forget about the world. The last thing he expected was for Jackson to show up out of nowhere to spend quality time with him. Nothing added up in his mind. “So,” Isaac began, “Where have you been? You missed a week and half of school!” 

Jackson raised one of his eyebrows and cracked a huge grin. “I didn’t think anyone would have noticed,” he stated as he slowly began feeling his face start to turn red. He thought it was sweet that the boy noticed his nonexistence for the period he was gone. 

“Well, when the school’s most prized possession disappears without telling anyone, people tend to notice,” Isaac responded hoping that Jackson wouldn’t think that he was some weirdo that kept a tab on his location 24/7. “I’m not a stalker, I swear!”

“I believe you,” Jackson reassured the boy. “To be honest, I didn’t tell anyone where I was because I didn’t want anyone to know…”

Isaac tilted his head in confusion. “Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” Jackson replied as he lowered his head. “I just… had to leave the country with my dad for a bit.”

“For vacation?” Isaac questioned. He had never left the country before, but he thought the idea of traveling the world outside the US would be amazing. But for some reason, Jackson seemed miserable talking about it.

“Not necessarily…” the other boy uttered quietly. Isaac could sense that he was hiding something and he wanted to figure out what that was. 

Isaac got up from his seat and pulled up a chair beside Jackson. “You know,” he started off as he placed one hand on Jackson’s back to comfort him, “I know we don’t know each other very well, but I don’t like seeing the people around me upset. If you need to talk, I’m here for you.” 

Jackson looked up and smiled at the boy. He didn’t know why, but something about Isaac made him feel so comfortable. He came back to Beacon Hills with the intent of making up some cover story as to why he disappeared, but he felt so guilty hiding anything form Isaac. “If I tell you, you can’t say anything to anyone,” Jackson instructed. 

“Of course,” Isaac replied. “You can trust me. I promise.”

“Pinky promise?” Jackson giggled as waved his pinky in front of Isaac’s face.

“Pinky promise,” Isaac vowed interlocking his little finger with Jackson’s.

“Well, you see…” Jackson took in a deep breath not wanting to explain the situation that he recently found himself in. Isaac kept his eyes locked on the other boy waiting for an answer and rubbed Jackson’s back to try to calm him down and open him up. “My dad and I fought a few weeks ago and things have been really rocky at home. So, one day, I guess he finally had it.” Jackson looked up and stared deep into Isaac’s eyes trying to hold back the tears he felt creeping their way up to the surface. “Isaac… He’s kicking me out and forcing me to go to a boarding school in London…” 

Isaac froze. He was speechless. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Jackson just yet, they were definitely headed somewhere. Something about Jackson brought so much peace and happiness to his life that he couldn’t believe that it could end so suddenly. He had been through so much already that it was nice to find someone who provided him with an escape. “I… Well… Umm…” Isaac couldn’t even speak properly. It felt like a vampire just ripped his tongue out. His friends would think that he was ridiculous for taking the news like it was the end of the world, but to him, it sure felt like it. He didn’t think that he had such strong feelings for Jackson. He thought it was just a little crush, especially since everyone seemed to love Jackson. But it suddenly occurred to him that this was different. Other than his group of friends, no one paid much attention to him and he had crawled so far into his shell that very few people were able to get him to open up. With Jackson, he felt like he was finally being noticed and someone was making a sincere effort to get to know who Isaac really was. 

“Listen, you can’t tell anyone,” Jackson begged. “I… I feel really guilty.”

“Guilty about…?” Isaac asked in a low voice trying to wake himself up from the nightmare that he was living. 

“Guilty for leaving you.”

Isaac glanced at the other boy and could see the hurt in his eyes. He still didn’t know what to think or do or say or anything really. “What… What do you mean?”

“You’re such a genuine and sweet guy and I know that you’ve been through a lot and I just wanted to get the chance to show you that there’s a light in you that the world needs to see. I know that we just started to get to know each other, but, there’s just something about you that I’m drawn to.” Jackson reached out his hand and grabbed Isaac’s. 

Isaac had kept his eyes closed the entire time. He didn’t want to accept that Jackson would be gone so soon, but he knew he had a decision to make. Was he willing to follow his heart and keep the relationship he had with Jackson alive or was he willing to end it right there to save his heart from being destroyed all over again? “How much time before you…” 

“My dad wants me gone in two months. He’s already registered me at the school and he bought me an apartment in the city.” Jackson gripped Isaac’s hand tighter. “I don’t want us to stop talking. I really like you, Isaac.”

“I feel the same way. But, we’ll both just end up getting hurt.” Isaac scratched the back of his head in frustration and distraught. 

“I know… But you’re worth the pain,” Jackson confessed as he gently brushed the side of Isaac’s face with the back of his hand. 

“Jackson… I don’t know if I can put myself through something like this. It never ends well.”

“We can make it work,” Jackson stated. “We will make it work. I’m not going to pass up the chance to be with you whether that’s as a teammate, a friend, or something more.” 

Isaac felt his heart sink even further into his chest. “Jackson… I…” But before he could finish his sentence, there was a knock at the door. Both boys glanced over their shoulders and stood up in unison. Even though they both wanted to work things out right away, neither of them could handle another moment of seeing tears form in the other’s eyes. 

“I’ll get it. It’s probably the pizza guy,” Jackson insisted as he motioned for Isaac to have a seat. When Jackson opened the door, he was surprised to find that it wasn’t the pizza guy standing in front of him. Instead, he found Stiles looking rather uneasy. 

“Hey, I hate to barge in on you two like this, but I need Isaac…” Stiles declared as he shot a concerned look at his best friend who was wiping the few tears that ran down his cheeks. “Isaac, it’s an emergency.”

Isaac immediately got out of his chair and ran to the door. He grabbed Jackson by the hand and apologized. “Do you mind if I-“ he began before Jackson cut him off.

“Go. Your friends need you,” Jackson stated with a troubled look upon his face.

“Just stay here. I’ll be back soon,” Isaac reassured him as both he and Stiles hurried around the corner and out of sight. In that moment, Jackson had completely forgotten the whole ordeal with Isaac and was about to close the door before someone stopped it from being shut. Jackson turned around swiftly only to realize that it was actually the pizza guy this time. 

“Hi, I have a large pizza for Mr. Whittemore,” the man said as Jackson nodded and paid for the food. When he left, Jackson placed the box on the table and opened it up to see if the restaurant followed his request that specified how he wanted the pizzas made. In a bittersweet moment, Jackson found himself looking down at a heart shaped cheese pizza with a post it note stuck to the little white table on the pizza that read: “I think I like like you. Be mine?” 

With a deep sigh, Jackson grabbed the note, crumpled it up, and threw it in the trash. He made his way over to the couch and thought about how the day did not go as he had planned. Feeling like a failure, he sprawled himself across the sofa in the living room and decided that he would take a nap to forget that anything even happened. Almost instantly, he dozed off to dream about what life would be like if he could have things go his way for once.


	9. Boy Drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am soooooo sorry for the lack of updates I've been publishing, but my finals done and I'm out of school for summer so I'll hopefully have more time to write! Let me know how you guys feel about everything so far! :)

When Stiles interrupted Isaac and Jackson’s one-on-one time, Isaac immediately knew something was wrong. The shakiness of Stiles’ voice was something he hadn’t heard in a very long time. The last time he saw Stiles this anxious was a few months ago when he lost a stuffed animal his mother gave to him as a child. He may be a young man, but he’s still a fragile momma’s boy at heart. “Stiles, what’s going on?” Isaac asked impatiently as he rushed to follow the boy who was sprinting to his jeep. For a human with no supernatural abilities, Stiles knew how to run. 

“It’s Derek... He’s gone,” Stiles responded quietly with a look of pure angst written all over his face. 

“What did you do?” the other boy asked beginning to become increasingly concerned.

“Why does it have to be my fault?” Stiles pouted.

“Stiles, I’m serious. What did you do?” Isaac scolded irritably.

“Well… When we ditched you at the apartment,” Stiles began, “sorry about that by the way.”

“Apology accepted,” Isaac replied.

“Right, well, when we left we had some time to kill before we had to head to the restaurant so we decided to go to the park to hang out for a bit. As we were walking around we bumped into Danny,” Stiles explained. 

“Danny… As in your ex-boyfriend Danny?” asked Isaac with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Yup… That’s the one,” admitted Stiles. “Anyways, he was on his daily jog and the two of us just got to talking and I guess it had been longer than I expected because as soon as we said our goodbyes, I turned around and Derek was nowhere in sight. I don’t know why or how it happened but I almost forgot about Derek when I was talking to Danny…”

“Stiles, you know how jealous Derek can get when it comes to you and your ex-boyfriends and I don’t want you to jeopardize what you have with him because of a boy from your past,” Isaac warned. 

“I know… I screwed up... I don’t know what I feel guiltier for, Isaac... For actually feeling butterflies while I was talking to Danny or for not even noticing that Derek left during the conversation.” Stiles was so overcome with grief that he could barely look Isaac in the eyes.

“We’ll find him,” Isaac responded placing a hand on his best friend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you one,” the other boy declared as he pulled Isaac in for a hug. As soon as they broke from their embrace they got into Stiles’ jeep and drove with no clear destination in mind.

“Have you tried to call him?” Isaac asked as he tried to brainstorm places Derek may have fled to.

“I tried that and it went straight to voicemail.” 

“Do you have any idea where he could have gone?” 

“Considering the fact that he has werewolf abilities, he could be two hours out of the city by now…” After a second of silence, Stiles slammed on the breaks causing Isaac to jerk forward suddenly in his seat.

“WHAT THE HELL STILES,” exclaimed Isaac as he tried to calm himself down.

“I know where he is,” Stiles declared in a hushed voice.

“You seriously need to stop breaking so suddenly. One day, you’re gonna get us into an accident,” Isaac scolded finally regaining his composure. “So, where is he?”

Stiles lowered his head and took a moment before saying anything. “Mystic Lake,” he indicated locking eyes with his best friend.

“That’s two hours out of town!” Isaac cried. “Why on earth would he be there?” 

“That’s where we had our first kiss,” explained Stiles as he reminisced on the moment that their lips finally touched. 

“Romantic,” replied Isaac sarcastically. “Mystic Lake it is.”

“Thanks for coming along, man. I really appreciate it,” acknowledged Stiles as he firmly grabbed his best friends arm. 

“Yeah, well you interrupted Jackson and I at the right time,” the boy confessed looking out the window at the orange and pink painted sky that illuminated the meadows they drove by. 

“Were you two gonna make out or something?” teased Stiles winking at Isaac who responded with a harsh glare. 

“It’s not funny, Stiles.”

“Okay, okay. Tell me what happened.”

“Long story short, Jackson’s dad is kicking him out and forcing him to go to boarding school in London.” Suddenly, Stiles slammed on the breaks once again throwing Isaac forward nearly giving him whiplash. “STILES,” yelled Isaac. “I am going to end up in the hospital because of you!”

“LONDON?” Stiles shrieked completely ignoring his friend’s rage. “Damn… Derek and I were really hoping you two would end up together…”

“Well, you two are out of luck because I don’t know if I can handle putting my heart out on the line knowing that he’d be across the ocean in two months.” Isaac began to imagine what things would be like if Jackson didn’t have to leave. The things they would be able to do together, the cities they could travel to, and even the restaurants they would go to when they ate out for dinner. He never met many people that made him feel the way that Jackson did and he still couldn’t believe that the universe threw him such a huge plot twist. 

“On the bright side,” Stiles added trying to think of something to say to cheer his best friend up, “you still have two months to spend together regardless of the fact that he’ll be leaving!” Stiles could see in Isaac’s face that he was extremely distraught and it hurt him too see it. In a softer tone, Stiles tried to reassure his best friend that he would be fine. “Listen, you’re going to get through this. I promise.”

“I don’t know, Stiles...” Isaac looked at the boy sitting next to him with tears beginning to form in his eyes. “Just when I thought things were finally going right for once…”

His friend nodded sympathetically and tried to find a way to cheer the boy up. “You know what you need?” Stiles said as a smile crept onto his face. Isaac didn’t say a word but raised an eyebrow not knowing what to expect from him. “You need to sit back and enjoy some of this for the next two hours,” Stiles declared as he connected his phone to his jeep and searched to find the one playlist that the boys always danced around to when no one was watching. 

“Are you seriously playing ‘N Sync right now?” asked Isaac shaking his head with the biggest grin on his face.

“You know you love it,” Stiles teased as he began to sing very loudly. Isaac just let out a deep sigh and accepted the fact that he was trapped with nowhere to run and joined in. Almost instantaneously, Isaac’s spirits had lifted and he was genuinely enjoying himself and forgot everything that occurred over the past few hours. The boys continued to belt out song lyrics for the duration of the long drive and didn’t hold back for one second.

After two hours and two ‘N Sync albums later, the boys finally made it to Mystic Lake. “Stiles, are you sure he’s here?” Isaac questioned in hesitation.

“I’m positive,” he confirmed scanning the environment. By this point, the sun had set and the only light in the area was that of the bright moon that illuminated their surroundings. “You stay here and I’ll go find him,” Stiles firmly instructed.

“I’m not letting you go out there by yourself. It’s pitch black and you don’t have night vision like I do,” Isaac said voicing his concern for his best friend. 

“Just stay here. I know exactly where he is and I have to handle this on my own.” Both boys stared at one another for a few seconds before Isaac caved and agreed to let Stiles go.

“Call my name at the first sign of trouble,” the boy said bringing Stiles in for a tight hug. “And try not to screw things up again,” he laughed.

Stiles rolled his eyes and waved to Isaac as he walked onto the trail that led to the part of the lake that he and Derek shared their first kiss. Stiles underestimated how dark it was along the path and began to get nervous. He turned around and could barely see the car through all the trees. Trying to calm himself down, he took a deep breath and began to jog towards his destination. Upon arriving at the edge of the lake, he searched the area for the large white rock that the couple had claimed as their spot. As he turned his head to the right he spotted the boulder and just as he suspected, there was Derek sitting on top of it looking out onto the water. He took a deep breath and slowly walked over to his boyfriend. 

“Mind if I have a seat?” Stiles asked timidly. Derek didn’t turn his head to look at the boy, but after a few seconds he shifted over to make room. “The moon’s really pretty tonight,” Stiles said trying to cut the tension he felt between them. Derek didn’t say a word and continued to silently stare out onto the motionless lake. “I’ve been trying to find you for hours!” 

“I didn’t want to be found,” Derek quickly argued in an irritated tone. 

“I’m sorry, babe. I honestly didn’t mean to upset you,” Stiles stated as his voice began to tremble. 

“You completely ignored my existence when we ran into that guy. How am I supposed to feel knowing that the minute you see an ex-boyfriend, you cut me out of the picture?” Both boys fell silent and as Stiles opened his mouth to respond, he heard Derek sniffle silently. “I guess I’m just scared,” he admitted.

“Of what?” Stiles questioned placing a hand on the bigger man’s lower back. 

“I don’t know,” Derek answered closing his eyes trying to block out all of the thoughts running around in his mind. 

“We promised each other that we would deal with these kinds of things together! I didn’t risk my life by dating a werewolf for nothing,” he teased looking over at his boyfriend noticing that a small smile had crept onto his face. “There’s that million dollar smile that I fell in love with!” Derek let out a quiet laugh but his smile quickly left his face as soon as it came. “Please talk to me,” Stiles begged beginning to become miserable at the way that things were going.

“I’m scared of losing you,” Derek finally admitted.

“Losing me?” 

“Yes… Losing you to someone better than me. Someone better looking, funnier, smarter, nicer… someone normal,” he confessed gazing down at his claws thinking that things would be easier if he were human like the majority of people on earth.

“Babe… I love you because you aren’t normal,” Stiles professed as he took Derek’s hand in his. 

“Um… Thanks?” Derek replied unsure whether he should feel offended or not.

“I don’t want normal… I want different,” he added to comfort his boyfriend. “Yes, I may have come close to dying more times than I can count, but I would do absolutely anything if it meant I could be with you forever. A world without you by my side is a world I never want to be part of.” Derek pursed his lips and looked away trying to hide the glisten of his eyes as tears began to form. “I’m sorry that I hurt you by talking to Danny, but he’s in the past and you are my present and my future and no one will ever change that.” Stiles paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. “Look at me,” he said quietly to which Derek responded by locking eyes with the younger boy. “I love you to the full moon and back,” Stiles vowed before leaning in to give his boyfriend a gentle kiss. 

“You promise?” the man asked before stealing another small kiss. 

“I promise,” Stiles assured. “Besides, why would I want to give up dating the best kisser in the entire universe?” he teased as he leaned in to kiss his boyfriend one more time. However, just as their lips were about to touch, Stiles’ phone rang and his Spice Girls ringtone blasted throughout the entire area. 

“You should really think about changing that ringtone,” Derek joked shaking his head at the boy. 

Stiles simply glared at him and answered his phone. “Can I help you?”

On the other line Stiles could hear Isaac hysterically laughing unable to catch his breath. “You still haven’t changed your ringtone after all these years?”

“Whatever. Say what you guys want about the Spice Girls, but they are the voice of a generation, okay?” Stiles fought causing Derek and Isaac to laugh even harder.

“Whatever you say, Stiles,” Isaac stated. “But let’s get going, it’s getting late and I gotta get back to Jackson.”

“Be right there, Prince Charming,” Stiles said before he hung up the phone and stood up. “Let’s get going, my love.”

“You got it, boss,” Derek said reaching out for Stiles’ hand to help him up.

“I like the sound of that! You should call be ‘boss’ more often,” Stiles added jokingly. Derek just rolled his eyes at the boy, picked him up and threw him over his shoulder to carry him to the car. “I have legs you know,” Stiles cried trying to escape from the man’s grip.

“I know, but I’m just making sure you don’t run away to one of your ex-boyfriends,” Derek stated tightening his grip on the smaller boy. 

“Let it go, babe,” Stiles pouted. Derek just smiled and ran to the jeep where Isaac was sitting inside patiently waiting for the pair. The man opened the backseat and threw Stiles down and got into the driver’s seat, started the car, and drove off back to the apartment. 

“So, Isaac, how did things go with Jackson?” the man asked keeping his eyes locked on the dark road ahead.

“His dad’s kicking him out and he’s moving to London,” Isaac sighed after having to think about the whole situation again. Out of nowhere, Derek slammed on the breaks causing Stiles to be thrust forward crashing face first into the back of Isaac’s seat. 

“BABE,” Stiles whimpered in pain. 

“SERIOUSLY? How did the two of you even get your licenses?” Isaac questioned shaking his head at the poor driving he experienced with both boys. 

“Sorry, Stiles,” Derek apologized. “But, London? Really?” 

“Yup… In two months.” 

“Well if you ask me, I say you spend every moment you can with him until the day he leaves,” Stiles chimed in.

“Stiles is right, Isaac,” Derek asserted. “If you don’t, you’ll regret it for as long as you live. I know you two are still getting to know each other, but I can sense that you really care for him and as much as I hate the idea of you getting hurt, I know he’d be good to you.” 

Both Isaac and Stiles were slightly taken back by the sudden paternalistic tone the man possessed. “Wow, Derek… That was… really sweet,” Stiles applauded.

“But if he does hurt you, I will rip his heart out,” the man proclaimed.

“…I take that back,” Stiles retracted as he sat back in his seat and crossed his arms in disappointment of the short-lived sweetness his boyfriend expressed.

“Isaac, all I’m saying is that you can’t stop fighting for the ones you love no matter how hard it gets.”

“You’re right. Thanks, dad,” Isaac blurted out before he could catch himself. “Um, I mean, Derek!” Immediately, the boys all broke out in laughter until Isaac connected his phone and played the Spice Girls song that Stiles kept as his ringtone to try and distract the boys from how embarrassed he felt.

“I hate you guys,” Stiles scowled as the other two sang along to the song that they kept on repeat for as long as they could before each of them wanted to rip their ears out. 

Once two hours had passed and they arrived back at the apartment, the group walked into the loft to find Jackson fast asleep on the sofa. Derek and Stiles walked hand in hand to their bedroom waving good night to Isaac who gave them a slight nod and made his way towards the closet to grab a spare blanket. As he walked towards the boy, he couldn’t help but notice how adorable Jackson looked while he was asleep. He tried not to stare for too long because he didn’t want to be a creep, so he simply placed the blanket over the boy so he could sleep more comfortably. Isaac paused for a moment thinking of all the things that Stiles and Derek said to him that night and after a bit of thought, he knew what he had to do. He wasn’t going to let a minute pass in which he didn’t fight for what he wanted and what he wanted was Jackson. Quietly, Isaac leaned in closer to the boy who he believed was fast asleep and placed a small kiss on his forehead. He then stood up, turned off the lights, and looked back at Jackson one last time before heading to his room to finally sleep after such a long day. 

Once the lights went out, Jackson opened his eyes in the darkness of the apartment and brushed his fingers over his forehead where Isaac had placed his lips. He wasn’t asleep and he was extremely pleased that he wasn’t. Although he would be across the world in a few months, he wasn’t going to let it stop him from being with Isaac and he was willing to do whatever he needed to do to win Isaac’s heart. Closing his eyes, he slowly drifted off to sleep as he imagined what his life would be like with Isaac by his side and the happiness that their relationship would bring to his world.


End file.
